Harry Potter and The Secret of Hogwarts
by SilverDragon529
Summary: Takes place in Harry's 6th year. There's a secret at Hogwarts, but nobody knows it yet. Harry, Ron , and Hermione try to find out what it is, and find some other secrtes as well.
1. The Letter

Harry Potter and the Secret of Hogwarts  
Chapter 1  
"The Letter"  
  
Harry Potter was a higly unusual boy. For one thing, he lived with his uncle, aunt, and cousin who all hated him very much. He was also a wizard, which was one of they many reasons they hated him so much.  
  
Harry was forced to spend his summer vacation at his uncle's house against who of their wills.  
  
'I would rather be at Ron's,' thought Harry many times. 'And I'm sure Uncle Vernon would be more than happy to see me out of his house.'  
  
As you can see, Harry really loathed being at his uncle's house.  
  
"That's it!" Harry said to himself one night. "I'm going to send Ron an owl and ask him to pick me up."  
  
Harry slipped out of bed and walked towards his desk. He wasn't all too concerned about making a lot of noise because of the heavy rain outside, whick was sure to drown out most of the noise.  
  
He retrieved a piece of crisp parchment, a weathered, old quill, and a small container of ink from the inside of his desk. He placed it all neatly on his desk and began to ponder about what he was going to write. When an idea finnaly popped into his head, he began writing furiously. He eventually finished the letter, which read:  
  
Dear Ron,  
  
It's Harry. Can you do me a BIG favor? Can you get me out of here? It's horrible. They're treating me like a prisioner in Azkaban. The only thing we need now is a couple of Dementors and this place WOULD be Azkaban. Please post back soon.  
  
Harry  
  
Harry felt partially releived, yet somewhat worried. 'What if they don't get the letter? What if I can't go over?' Harry eventually dismissed these thoughts and placed the letter in the envelope. As Harry scurried towards Hedwig, she began to bang her beak roughly against the metal cage.  
  
"SSHH! Hedwig!" Harry hissed at her. He knew the rain would drown out some of the noise, but not all of it.  
  
She immediately stopped her behavior, yet while Harry tied the letter to her leg, she pointed her beak towards the window, trying to signal Harry to turn around.  
  
"What is it, girl?" he asked her. He noticed Hedwig's pointing and finally looked in the directon of which she was pointing. Outside his window was a creature he had never seen before. He approched his window cautiously, careful not to alarm the bird-like creature. He nearly had his nose on the window before he could get a clear image of the bird because of the heavy rain outside. The bird was extremely emancipated, almost sickly, and had a greenish tint to its midnight black feathers. It wasn't very big, because of its sickly state and it looked extremely depressed. Its round, pear colored eyes gazed wearily into Harry's sharp, green eyes and it pecked softly at the window. Harry instinctivly opened his window for the sickly bird and gently placed it on his bed, careful not to hurt the bird in its fragile condition. He observed the bird carefully and finally came to the conclusion that he had never seen a bird like that. He then went to search in his "Fantasic Beasts and Where to Find Them" book.  
  
He glanced over all the pictures before finding a bird that looked just like the one on his bed.  
  
"Augurey," he read to hinself, now sitting next to the bird, stroking it absentmindedly. "Also known as the Irish Phoenix." He glanced over the excert and discovered that this particular bird was supposed to look sickly and that it only travels in heavy rain.  
  
"That explains a lot," Harry said to the Augurey. He continued to read, only to discover that an Augurey gave a heart-renduring cry before it rains.  
  
"That's not good,' he said to himself. 'What if the Augurey cries and Uncle Vernon hears it?' Harry finally decided that the odds of it raining tomorrow were very slim and placed the bird next to Hewig's cage, only to be nipped on the finger roughly by her.  
  
"Stop being jealous," Harry said to the snow-colored owl. "It's only going to stay here over night." It was then that Harry noticed a letter tied to the Augurey's leg.  
  
He untied the letter from the bird and slowly opened the envelope, only to find one piece of parchment inside. He unfolded the letter and read it to himself.  
  
Dear Mr. H. J. Potter,  
  
I am sincerely sorry for not telling you who I am or why I am sending you this letter, but you need to trust me. First, you will need to show this letter to the broomstick shop shopkeeper. (Note to the shopkeeper- in Vault 714 there is enough money for seven new broomsticks for the Gryffindor Quidditch team.) Secondly, you will need to show this letter to the Florish and Blotts shopkeeper. (Note to Florish and Blotts- Give him the package marked H.P.) You need to rust me on both of these things. Farewell!  
  
Sincerely,  
  
It was not signed at the end.   
  
Harry was puzzled by this letter. 'Who would buy the Gryffindor Quidditch team new brooms and why? Also, what was the package at Florish and Blotts?' Harry became extremely confused. 'Why would they send the letter on an Augurey instead of an owl?'  
  
None of this was making any sense to him. He then decided to worry about it in the morning, so he placed the letter under the loose floorboard along with the "Fantastis Beasts" book. He slid into bed before realizing that he forgot to send his letter to Ron, so he crawled out from under his covers and took Hedwig out of her cage. He opened the window and watched her disappear into the rain. He went right into bed and fell into a dreamless sleep.  
  
A/n- Ok, so nothing really happened, but let me assure you, it will get better. Also, the next Chapter might not be up right away bacause it is not only 2x's as long as this one, but my computer keeps freezing after every page so please I will try my best to update soon. Also, this is my first story so PLEASE tell me what you think. Good, bad, I really don't care, just tell me what you think.It will really help me and be much appreciated. Also, my computer sucks doesn't do spell check so if i spelt anything totally wrong, please let me know. Thanks a lot. ~Bye 


	2. Dudley's Mistake

Chapter 2  
"Dudley's Mistake"  
  
A/N- Ok, so maybe the last chapter was a little short. This one's a little longer. Promise. Again, nothing really happens in this chapter, but it doesn't mean that this chapter isn't improtant. Ok, here I go!!  
  
Harry was awakened the next morning by the shouting of his uncle and the loud crying of the Augurey. Harry was still half asleep when he noticed his uncle charging straight at him and demanding him to get out of bed.  
  
"What do you think I'm runnin' here, boy? A bird hotel?!?" his uncle yelled at him. "That bloody bird won't shut up! Shut him up, lad!"  
  
"I can't!" Harry yelled over the bird's crying. " It cries before heavy rain! Best we can do is wait!"  
  
Uncle Vernon gave Harry a look of digust while covering both his ears with his chubby hands. "You were lucky when I let you keep that owl of yours! But now.... a moaning bird!?! No more! And let me guess, it's from one of your little friends at school, isn't it boy? Well, NO MORE!" Uncle Vernon looked more furious than ever. "I want you and that bloody bird out of here by tomorrow, is that clear?!"  
  
The bird finally stopped and the new found silence caught both of their attentions.  
  
"Well, it stopped," Harry said matter-of-factly.  
  
"I don't care! Do you know what damage you just caused? All the neighbors probably heard and since your aunt is out of town now, I'm the one whose gotta explain to them what that noise was! What am am I supposed to tell them?" Uncle Vernon used the same tone of voice as before, even thought he didn't need to yell over an Augurey anymore.  
  
"Well, you could tell them the truth," Harry suggested. "Tell them that a mystical creature from a faraway land was crying it's heart out because it's about to rain." A small smirked crept onto his face.  
  
"NEVER!" Uncle Vernon glared at Harry and his smirk disappeared. "I want you and that bloody bird out of here by tomorrow, is that clear?" His tone of voice decreased dramatically, yet it still had the same effect.  
  
"Where am I supposed to stay, then?" Harry asked.  
  
"I honestly don't care. I just want you as far away from here as possible." He marched out of Harry's room and the house began to shake.  
~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*  
  
As Harry layed on his bed, staring absentmindedly at the ceiling, he heard two loud thumps outside hie window. Apparently, the crashes alarmed the now-sleeping Augurey because as soon as it heard the noise, it jumped up and nearly knocked down Hedwig's cage.  
  
Harry recongnized the two owls right away; one was his own Hedwig and the other was Hermione's. Harry opened the window to allow the two owls inside. Hedwig instinctivly flew inside her cage, while the other one just stood on the window sill until Harry picked it up and placed it on his bed.  
  
Harry noticed that they both had packages attatched to their legs, so he he relieved them of their heavy loads and placed their packages on his desk.  
  
He opened the package that came on Hermione's owl first. He opened the letter inside the parcel, which read:  
  
Dear Harry,  
  
Hope your family's not giving you a hard time. Anyway, Happy Birthday! I didn't know what to get you, so I hope you like it.  
  
Sincerely,  
Hermione  
  
Harry looked inside the box and found a golden goblet with jewels across the base and his name engraved in the middle. It was like Hermione to get him something practical.  
  
He decided not to waste anymore anymore time and immediately opened the next package. It, too, contained a letter, which said:  
  
Hey Harry,  
  
Just received your letter and just in time, too, bevcause I was going to send it on Errol, but he would have just gotten lost or something. Anyway, Happy Birthday, Harry. Hope you like what I got you. Oh, and my mum said you can come over. How about I pick you up tomorrow at around 8:00 A.M.? I'll probably go by Floo Powder, just to warn you(Remember last time?). Anyway, afterwards, we're going to Diagon Alley for school supplies and to meet up with Hermione. I have to go. Bye.  
  
Ron  
  
Harry tried not to laugh as he remembered the last time Ron came to pick up Harry by Floo Powder. Dudley eneded up with a tounge the size of the fireplace. The image brought a smile to Harry's face. The memory of Dudley's Ton-Tounge led Harry to almost forget about the present Ron had sent him.  
  
He slowly opened the parcel to find two things inside the box. One was a clear, glass bottle which was labeled "Phoenix Tears." Harry remembered that phoenix tears have the ability to heal, so he was grateful. The second gift was a small, yellow, egg-shaped object with a note underneath it. The note read:  
  
Harry-This is a Jobberknoll. They're wonderful pets. They clear your room of spiders and they never make a sound. Also, their feathers are used in all sorts of potions, so you won't need to buy them.  
  
Harry placed the egg gentley inside of it's box, along with the bottle. Harry decided that now was a good time to pack his bags. He only had twenty-two hours until Ron came to pick him up and all of his school supplies were still all over the place.  
  
~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*  
  
Harry was nearly complete packing. All of his robes and clothes were in a chest, while his books were in suitcases. Harry just had to pack a few more things, but then, Dudley came.  
  
"What are you doing in there?" Dudley barked from behind the door. Harry turned to see Dudley's porky fingers clenched on the door and his glaring at him in disgust.  
  
"I'm just getting ready to leave. I'm going to stay with some friends from school," Harry retorted with a slight smirk on his face.  
  
Dudley suddenly stopped glaring and gripped both of his beefy hands over his rear. He never had much luck with any of Harry's friends.  
  
Dudley noticed the smirk on Harry's face, and he wasn't going to let Harry wim this time. He took his hand off of his rear and began pacing.  
  
"You think your special because you're all 'magical', don't you?" Dudley asked in an intimidating voice."You think you're better than everyone else."  
  
"I do not!"  
  
Dudley's attention was soon caught by the three birds that sat on Harry's desk."What are you doing? Collecting birds?" Dudley asked, coldly. He bagan to walk towards the birds when he noticed an abnormally strange bird.  
  
"What kind of a bird is THIS? It's bloody ugly!" Dudley began flicking the Augurey on the beak.  
Before Harry could stop him, Dudley let out a smalll yelp. The Augurey had snapped him on the fingers.  
"Your bird bit me!"  
  
Harry began to snicker, whick eventually turned into loud, howls of laughter. Harry nearly fell down.  
"What's so funny?" Dudley demanded.  
  
"Nothing," Harry managed to say in between laughs.  
  
It was then that Dudley noticed Harry's wand lying unguarded on his desk. Dudley began to slowly walk towards it while Harry was distracted by his laughing. Dudley finally reached the wand and held it firmly in his hands. Harry finally stopped laughing when Dudley pointed it directly at Harry's face.  
  
"So this is how you perform your stupid little magic tricks," Dudley said, his hand trembling as he held the wand. Harry didn't want to say anything to make matters worse.   
  
Dudley turned around, the wand still in his hands. "Look at me, everybody! I'm Harry Potter!" Dudley remarked sarcastically as he strolled around Harry's room."I can peform magic!" Dudley stopped walking only to look at himself in the mirror.. He looked at himself in delight.  
  
He looked at the wand and muttered something Harry couldn't here. Dudley pointed the wand at the mirror and said "Abra Kadabra." Harry was amazed to see that whatever Dudley did worked, because golden sparks came out of the wand. However, the sparks soon bounced off the mirror and formed silver ribbon, which was wrapping inself around Dudley.  
  
When the ribbon faded away, Harry almost started laughing again by what he saw. Dudley had grown two pig-like ears, and his nose was now a snout. As Dudley looked at himself in the mirror, Harry slipped the wand out of his hand.After that, Dudley fainted, causing a loud thump which alarmed Uncle Vernon. He soon began stomping up the stairs.  
  
"What's going on up here?" he yelled. "You better not be getting any more of those blasted birds!" He finally reached Harry's door and opened it so roughly, it nearly cracked the wall as it bounced off of it, and also knocked a picture that was hanging in the hallway onto the ground.  
  
Uncle Vernon noticed his son lying unconsious on the floor, who happened to resembled a swine more now than ever.  
  
"What have you done to him?!?" Uncle Vernon asked, trying to sound calm. He noticed that Harry was holing his wand and his eyes widend. "You put some kind of a spell on him, didn't you?"  
Harry looked at Uncle Vernon, trying to find the right words to say. He eventually stuttered a few "I didn't do it!"'s and a couple "It wasn't me"'s in his defense.   
  
His uncle just glared at him and snapped,"You're lucky you're leaving tomorrow." Uncle Vernon began dragging Dudley out of Harry's room, because he was too heavy to lift.  
  
Harry bacame furious at his uncle's attempt to blame him. 'If Dudley wasn't so stupid,' Harry thought. He then packed his wand, so it wouldn't cause any more damage.  
  
When he finished packing the last of his belongings, he let Hermione's owl go back and began to wonder when it would rain again, so he could let the Augurey go home as well. 'It cried this morning.' he thought, 'So it might rain soon.' Harry turned his attention to his watch. 'Only twelve more hours until I'm outta here.'  
  
  
A/N- Ok, so I might've taken a while to update, but I'm a slow typer, and I'm also really busy. Ok, I would REALLY appreciate reviews. Give me ideas for future chapters! All reviews are welcome! Good or Bad! Thanks to all the people who review, and if you don't, PPPPPLLLLLLLLLEEEEEEAAAAASSSSSEEEEEE RRREEEVVIIIIEEEEEEWWWWWWW!!! I'm BEGGING(And I don't do that often.) Thanks~ 


	3. Into the Burrow

Chapter 3-"Into the Burrow"  
  
Harry woke up the next morning to the sounds of raindrops on his window. He immediately let the augurey go home, in case it didn't rain again for a long time.  
  
As Harry got dressed, he turned aroung to see what time it was. It was 7:49 P.M. Ron was going to be there soon.  
  
Harry walked downstairs to see Dudley lounging ont the couch watching cartoons and Uncle Vernon reading the newspaper; both of them were paying no attention to Harry. Dudley, as Harry predicted, still had his pig ears and large, flat snout.  
  
As soon as Harry stepped into the kitchen, a loud voice bellowed behind him.  
  
"I demand you get Dudley fixed up right away!"  
  
"I'm sorry, Uncle Vernon," Harry said half-heartedly,"but I don't know what Dudley did."  
  
Harry didn't listen to his uncle's new list of insults because his mind was on something else at the moment: the fireplace. It was boarded up.  
  
Harry raced out of the kitchen, pushing a now very furious Ucle Vernon out of his way. When he did reach the fireplace, he struggled to pull the nailed boards off of it.  
  
"What are you doin', lad?" inquired Uncle Vernon. Dudley didn't notice a thing that was going on. Apparently his television show was more important.  
  
"Ron's gonna be here soon! I need to open the fireplace!" Harry spat.  
  
"You mean those ginger-haired loons are coming through my fireplace again?" his uncle yelled, furiously.  
  
"They're not loons!" Harry said in their defense. "And I wouldn't talk to them like that."  
  
"And why not?"  
  
Harry turned around, his face covered with soot. "Because they might give Dudlekins over there a nice little tail to go with those ears." Harry smirked slightly as his uncle's face went from ecstacy to worry in almost no time at all. Dudley seemed to have heard that response as well, because his attention was now on Harry, his mouth was opened in a state of shock.  
  
Alost instantly, a green flame grew inside the fireplace. Harry stepped back a couple of steps, as did Uncle Vernon. A figure of a person appeared within the fire and soon the figure exited.  
  
"Ron!" Harry shouted in complete excitement.  
  
"Hey, Harry!" Ron replied, his face covered in soot as well. Dudley sat on the couch, staring at Harry and Ron in complete shock. Uncle Vernon just stood there, as scared as Dudley.  
  
Ron turned his attention to Dudley, who now looked like a literal example of what he always was.  
  
"Aw, Harry. You know better than that," Ron said disappointedly, yet he still had a smile on his face.   
  
Harry replied, "But it wasn't me. It was Dudley."  
  
Ron began to shake his head, snorting slightly as Harry went to get his luggage. He dragged every last bit of it towards the fireplace and place inside the tounges of emerald green flames.  
  
"You go first, Harry."  
  
Harry stepped inside, between the huge pile of luggage. He grabed some Floo Powder that Ron held in a container. He shouted "The Burrow," threw the powder into the fire and was sucked into the flames.'I'll never get used to this,' he thought to himself as he began to feel as if he was spinning very fast, which caused him to feel sick. He closed his eyes, hoping the feeling would go away, and when he opened them again, he was standing in the fireplace at the Burrow. He pulled his luggage behind him as he stepped foot into the living room.  
  
"Hello?" he asked to no one in particular. It seemed as if nobody was home.   
  
He heard a loud thump and instinctivly turned around, only to see a no longer red-haired Ron covered in soot from head to toe.  
  
Ron stepped out of the fire and tried to wipe the soot off of him. His attempt was futile.  
  
"Where is everybody?" Harry's curiousty got the best of him.  
  
"They all went out. Ginny's at a friends and my mum's picking her up. Dad's at work and so is Percy. And Fred and George are out trying to catch a javery to get rid of the gnomes in the backyard."  
  
"Oh," Harry said. "When are we going to Diagon Alley? I need to pick up a few things." Harry remember the strange letter he had received.  
  
"Later today," Ron replied. "Mum already received the supply lists."  
  
"Ok, but can I take my stuff upstairs now?" Harry was starting to feel weird about standing in the Weasley's living room with piles of luggage.  
  
"Sure. I need to put the fire out, anyway."  
  
Harry walked upstairs with most of his luggage and entered Ron's room. He spotted a second bed and assumed it was for him, so he placed his luggage on top of the bed and sat down beside it. He opened one of the suitcases and saw the letter lying on top.  
  
Harry heard footsteps coming down the hall and began to wonder if Ron would know anything about the letter.  
  
"Ron?"  
  
"Yea, Harry?" Ron was now standing in the doorway.  
  
"Would you know who might have sent this to me?" Harry handed the letter two Ron and watched as he read it to himself.  
  
"Haven't a clue," he replied, handing the letter back to Harry. "But I wish I did. I would love to thank them."  
  
"Maybe it's Dumbledore," Harry thought aloud. "Maybe he doesn't want to pick favorites so he sent it anonomusly."  
  
"Maybe. We can ask Hermione later."  
  
"I guess so....Hey! Wait a minute!" Harry said, suddenly remembering the augurey."Do you know anything about augureys?"  
  
"Yea," he said, in disgust. "Noisy little buggers. They always cry. And it's not one of those sweet little cries, mind you. It's enough to drive anyone bonkers. Why you ask?  
  
"Because whoever sent this letter sent it on and augurey, not an owl."  
  
"Then that person is either off their rocker or a really good wizard."  
  
"Why would they have to be a good wizard?" This was finally starting to get somewhere.  
  
"Because you have to put silencing spells on them everytime they cry or else they would drive you crazy."  
  
Harry looked down at the letter again. 'It could be Dumbledore,' he thought. 'He's a good wizard.'  
  
Ron interupped Harry's train of thought. "Well, it doesn't matter, does it? All that matters is that the whole Quidditch team is getting new brooms. We'll be unstoppable!" He headed toward the door and left to go outside, leaving Harry to himself. 'It DOES matter.' he began to think to himself. 'What if it's not from Dumbledore? What if it's from Voldemort?' Harry shuttered at the thought.  
  
"RON?! ARE YOU HOME YET?!" The familiar voice of Mrs. Weasley bellowed throughout the house.  
  
"Yes, mum!"  
  
Harry began walking downstairs, carring the letter in one hands and and sackful of galleons, sickles, and knuts in the other. He walked down the stairs two steps at a time and couldn't wait for the Qudditch season to start.  
  
A/N-*Claps hands in happiness* I FINALLY UPDATED! YAY! Ok, in the next chapter, I will begin to introduce more of the plot. Also, unlike my other stories, I'm trying to keep this story as accurate to the actually series a possible, so I'm actually not making up most of these creatures, like augureys and javerys. They're all in the "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" Book. Ok, so everything that happened so far happened for a reason. Everything will begin to fall in place as the story progresses. Ok, please review ant tell me what you think so far because I am not psyhic and won't know what you're thinking unless you tell me. So, review and I will give you a marshmallow in return ^-^.  
  
Another note- Thank you, Liz Dockson, for informing me I had made a mistake. It's been a while since I read the second book, and I guess that's something I had forgotten ^-^. I corrected it, though, so no need to worry. Thanks for helping me. 


	4. Old Faces and New Rivals

No sooner than when Harry arrived at the Burrow, he was already walking down Diagon Alley, alongside an overly-enthusiatic Ginny, a soot-cover Ron, and an extremely delighted Mrs.Weasley.  
  
"I'll take Ginny to the potion shop. We'll get your potions refills. All you need to do is get your books," Mrs. Weasley told Ron, while wiping his shirt clean of soot. "Oh, and if you see Hermione, tell her I say 'Hi'."  
  
"Don't worry, mum. I'll tell her when I see her," Ron reasurred her, while looking around at all the people passing by. He was a little embarresed about having his mum treat him like a child.  
  
"Ok, let me hand you some money...," Mrs. Weasley slipped her hand into her pocket and pulled out a handful of coins."Twenty galleons and thirty sickles should be more than enough. Don't spend it all, though. And don't forget to meet us at Florish and Blotts in about two hours."  
  
"Ok." Ron began pulling Harry's shirt, leading him towards the Florish and Blotts.   
  
"Where did Hermione say she was going to meet us?" Harry asked while opening the door to the bookstore.  
  
Ron walked in and immediatly became part of the crowd. "She said she would meet us here at around this time," Ron managed to shout over the crowd of people. Apparently, they weren't the only people who needed books. Every nook and cranny of the already small bookstore was filled with people. People were snatching books off the shelves left and right.  
  
Ron lead Harry to the desk, where an extremely frazzled-looking man stood. He semmed to be the only person working there.  
  
"Sir?" Harry asked him, trying to get his attention. Thye man jerked his head around and gave a half-hearted smile to the two boys.  
  
"What can I get ya, lads?" he asked.  
  
"We need a few books," Ron managed to state, politely.  
  
"So that's why you're here?" the man asked sacastically. "I thought you came here to buy a few hippogriffs."  
  
Ron acted as if he didn't here the man's rude comment and continued with what he was doing before. He held out the list of books and started to read the titles.  
  
"We need two copies of 'Grand Book of Potions, vol. 6,' 'The Really Big Book of Plants,' 'Twenty Centuries of Magic,' and 'The Magical Book of Magic.' "  
  
"Ok, I'll be back with those books, and you better have fourteen galleons and two sickles when I come back." The man disappeared into the crowd and headed towards the bookshelves. It was then that Harry remembered the letter he had received. He had to show it to the shopkeeper in order to redeem it.  
  
While Ron searched every face in the store for Hermione's, Harry reached into his pocket and pulled out the letter.  
  
Harry was just unfolding the letter when the shopkeeper returned with a pile of books that towered over his head. He dropped the books onto the counter and outstreached an open hand. Ron put the coins into his hand and attempted to grab the pile of books, but couldn't.  
  
"Would you like the books sent directly to your homes or schools?" the man asked, sounding like he was actually concerned about them.  
  
'That would be nice."  
  
The man took out a piece of paper and a quill from under the desk."Where do you want it sent to, then?"  
  
"Hogwarts," Harry stated.  
  
"And do tell me which house you're in, what year you are, and what you're names are."  
  
"Gryffindor, sixth year. And our names are Ron Weasley and Harry Potter."  
  
"Oh! Me, too!" shouted an all-too familiar voice. Ron and Harry turned around and smiled at the appearence of their friend, Hermione.  
  
"So I guess you will need all these books as well?" the shopkeeper asked.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Ok, that'll be five galleons and fifteen sickles. Oh, and tell me your house, year, and name."  
  
Hermione explained all of the information to the man while handing him the money.  
  
"We're all sixth year Gryffindors. My name's Hermione Granger, that's Ron Weasley, and that's Harry Potter."  
  
As she pointed towards Harry, the man examined him carefully.  
  
"You wouldn't happend to be the same Mr. H. Potter that this parcel belongs to, would you?" He pulled out a package from underneath the counter.  
  
"Yes, that's mine. You wouldn't happened to have seen who sent this to you, would you?" Harry asked the shopkeeper while taking the parcel out of his hands.  
  
"Not a clue," the man said. "It was left on my doorstep about a week ago."  
  
"Well, thanks anyway."  
  
The man let out what seemed to be a slight grin and waved goodbye to the three Gryffindors.  
  
Harry, Ron, and Hermione all headed towards the door, but before they could get outside, Hermione's curiosity got the better of her.  
  
"Why did you get a parcel?" she asked. All Harry did to respond was take out the letter and showed it to her. She read it to herself and finally handed it back to him.  
  
"I wouldn't open it if I were you. What if it's dangerous?" Hermione warned, looking fearfully at the parcel.  
  
"Oh, come on. It's only a parcel! What can it do?" Ron asked her.  
  
"It could be full of.... dangerous snakes or something!"  
  
"Snakes? Who in the right mind would send snakes in a box?"  
  
"I'm just thinking, Ron."  
  
"That's nothing new." That answer, however, didn't come from Ron.  
  
"Is there ever a day you DON'T think?" spat Draco Malfoy. He began to look at Harry and Ron, in digust.  
  
Ron whipped out his wand and directed it towards Malfoy's face. "Leave us alone, Malfoy," Ron demanded, keeping a strait face. Malfoy, however, couldn't do the same.  
  
Malfoy let out a smirk, followed by a snort of laughter. "Can't you do anything without you wand, Weasley? Or do you depend on it for everything?"  
  
Ron pulled his wand back and placed it back into his pocket. He took a few steps back, but still glared at Malfoy, coldly. Malfoy looked as if he was about to pounce, when a hand came out of the crowd and held him back, which was followed by a soft, "Stop."  
  
The person who held him back was someone Harry had never seen before. Her straight, black hair barely reached her shoulders and her skin seemed to be as white as porcelean. Her facial expresion and her eyes were much like Malfoy's, cold.  
  
"It seems as though Draco never introduced us. I'm Monica Morvalo." She turned her attention to Malfoy, who was glaring at Ron.  
  
"Let's go," she said, strongly.  
  
"Why don't I catch up with you later?" Malfoy suggested. He didn't stop glaring at Ron.  
  
"I said NOW!" She snapped and he followed her out of the store. They soon disappeared into the crowd streets of Diagon Alley.   
  
Harry, Ron, and Hermione were now in a state of shock. They had never seen anyone other then themselves defy Malfoy like that, especially someone who seemed to be his friend.  
  
"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning," Hermione said.  
  
The three eventually left the store and headed towards the broomstick shop to pick up the brooms that the letter talked about. This shop, however, wasn't filled to the brim with customers, only a few spectators outside, observing the newest broom model, the Lightning Bolt. When they entered, they immedately spotted the shopkeeper, who greeted them kindly.  
  
"I got this letter," Harry said, showing the letter to the shopkeeper. He read the letter and looked to the kids when he finished reading it.  
  
"Vault 714, huh?" the shopkeeper asked, looking at Harry. Harry suddenly felt that the shopkeeper didn't believe him.  
  
"Yes. Why do you ask?" Harry asked nervously.  
  
"No particular reason," the shopkeeper reassured, "except the owners of this particular vault died years ago. Every last one of them. Quite sad, actually..."  
  
"What do you mean?" Hermione interupted, sounding somewhat confused, which wasn't often for her.  
  
"That's right. This vault was owned by a powerful wizarding family, who all died in a tragic ordeal. Each one of them killed by You-Know-Who. Each died a different way. Each way more horrible then the last."  
  
"Which family are you talking about?" Ron asked. By now, each of the children were now interested in the story.  
  
The man sighed heavily and turned his head towards the door. He turned his head back towards the children, and motioned for them to lean closer. He began to speak at a whisper.  
  
"The Dumbledores."  
  
A/N- Hehehehehehehehehe. A cliff-hanger. I'm so evil ^-^. What does he mean by "The Dumbledores"? Are they related to Prof. Dumbledore, and if so, how? And what EXACTLY in that package Harry just received? Could it have anything to do with the secret of Hogwarts? I intend to answer all these questions and more eventually. Maybe next chapter, or maybe later.... Anyway, review and tell me what you think. My muses and I enjoy receiving reviews. It makes writing stories worth-while. 


	5. Answers

A/N- ARGHHHHHHHH!! I am SOOOO sorry for just leaving u at a cliffie like that for so long. PLEASE FORGIVE ME!!!! I just took midterms a month ago and my rain just totally exploded, so I need to take a little break. I NEVER PLANNED ON IT LASTING THIS LONG, THOUGH! Ok, so instead of me beating myself, I'm just gonna write the next chapter, ok?  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"The Dumbledores."  
  
Harry, Ron, and Hermione all gasped. The man, now aware of the damage he just caused, tried to cover up his mistake.  
  
"Forget I said that."  
  
Hermione, letting her curiosity get the better of her, wanted to know what he meant. "What do you mean?" she asked, unaware that her voice was shaking as she spoke.  
  
"Well, if you really want to know, I'll tell you, but you have to promise not to tell a soul." He glanced at all of their faces. "Can you do that for me?"  
  
The three began to nod their heads violently.  
  
"Ok, I'll tell you all I know." He sat down on an available chair and sighed heavily as he prepared to speak. "Many years ago, back when the Dark Lord was at the peak of his power, he decided to remove any threats to his power. One name came to mind above all others."  
  
"Dumbledore," Harry interrupted.  
  
"Exactly. Well, at the time this happened, Dumbledore's one and only son, Christopher, was living among the muggles, because he and his wife thought that that was the only way they could protect themselves and their daughter. Dumbledore insisted that they stay with him, but Christopher refused. So one night, when nobody expected it, You-Know-Who went into their house and murdered the three of them."  
  
"The THREE of them?" Ron asked. "Who was the third one?"  
  
"Their daughter, HH Hera, was killed as well. Probably suffered the worst fate out of all of them, if you ask me."  
  
"And exactly what fate was that?" Hermione wondered.  
  
"Well, you all know that You-Know-Who is a vampire, right?"  
  
Harry didn't understand. Not fully, anyway. A minute ago, he walked in just wanting to buy a broom, and now he knew that Dumbledore had a son and that Voldemort was a vampire.   
  
"So then, you still didn't answer my question," Hermione stated. Harry was surprised that she was reacting to the news as if it was no big deal.  
  
"Well, very rarely does a human ever survive a vampire bite, so having a child survive it is unheard of."  
  
"Harry here survived the Avada Kedavra curse," Ron said, pointing to Harry.  
  
"That's different. This time it was confirmed by Dumbledore himself. Now that is all I know." The man seemed to be getting angrier as he spoke. "Now, I'll go look in that vault and see if the money is there. If it is, I will send you your brooms. Now, please leave my store now."  
  
The three of them didn't need to be told more than once. They left as soon as the man told them to, and they only thought about how rude the man became.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
A/N- Well, that was short. Actually, this chapter and the last one were supposed to be one big SUPER-CHAPTER, but I thought that the Dumbledore part was a good cliff-hanger. Ok, I will try not to take as long to update, but I can't make any promises. Next week I have to take this state test thingy that will determine if you have the I.Q. of a grapefruit or not, so that will take most of my time. As always, review and tell me what you think. 


	6. The Parcel

A/N- I'm such a bad person. I deserve to die. I haven't written anything in over 6 months. After I write this next chapter, I'm going to gauge my eyes out with a spork, if it makes anybody feel any better.  
  
Also, I haven't read the 5th book yet, so if any of this stuff contradicts itself, oh well. While I came up with the plot of this story, the 5th book wasn't out yet. And now that it is, I'm trying to read it but it's so long.870 pages. JK Rowling lost her mind. Anyway, let me stop talking and start telling the rest of the story.  
  
~*~*~*~*~ Chapter 6 "The Parcel"  
  
Time flied too fast. Faster than Harry would have liked. He remembers going to the Burrow like it was yesterday, and now he was racing through the barrier that separated Platform 9 and 10 in order to reach Platform ¾.  
  
He was the first one to go through the barrier.  
  
When he reached the other side, he carried his luggage up to a man who was standing next to the crimson red train.  
  
He handed the man most of his luggage, except for the parcel, which he wanted to open on the train.  
  
Eventually, Ron raced through the barrier, followed by an extremely nervous Ginny and a grinning Hermione.  
  
The three followed Harry's example and handed their luggage to the same man. Once the finished, they stepped one by one onto the train and searched every compartment for an empty one. They eventually stumbled upon one that was completely empty, and took their seats.  
  
"I can't believe we're already 6th years," Harry announced and he sat in his seat, placing his still-wrapped parcel beside himself. Ron and Hermione sat across from him, while Ginny sat next to the parcel.  
  
"Easy for you to say," remarked Ginny. "I'm still in 5th. That means I have O.W.L.s."  
  
"Why are you here?" asked Ron, coldly. "Would you mind sitting in another compartment? We have important things we have to do."  
  
Ginny looked at him, hurt and shocked by his statement. "Fine." She got up and walked out.  
  
"That was a little rude," stated Hermione.  
  
"Well, nobody knows her like I do. You got to be tough with her. You have to lay down the line. You have to."  
  
"Be a git?" Hermione finished.  
  
Harry looked out the window while his two friends argued. He saw the train slowly drift out of the station; the train had already started.  
  
He turned his attention to the parcel. It looked just as it did eat day he had picked it up, except for a little wear and tear around the corners. He picked it up, only to place it on his lap.  
  
Hermione stopped arguing and watched Harry as he observed the parcel. Ron stopped as well.  
  
"Maybe now's a good time to open it," suggested Hermione. Ron furiously nodded his head in agreement. The suspense was killing him.  
  
Harry took a deep breath and began to slowly rip the brown paper off of it. When he had finished, he noticed the box. It wasn't a standard box you would use for mailing objects. It looked cryptic and seemed heavier than it was. It was leather bound and jewel-encrusted.  
  
"Well, open it!" Ron demanded.  
  
Harry placed both his hands on the sides of the box and opened it gingerly. He placed the lid besides him.  
  
"Oh my," Hermione started, staring at the contains of the box.  
  
Inside was a book and a few jars. The book was leather bound as well and had gold lettering, which read "1001 Things You Will Never Learn Because They Are Much Too Dangerous by Bea McCoy." It looked brand new. The jars, however, did not. The contents were filled with liquids of all sorts of colors. They looked strange, more like a gel rather than liquids. Each jar was labeled on the lid with scarlet ink.  
  
"Oh, I've heard of this book," Ron said excitedly. "It's really rare. It can tell you anything you want to know. All you have to do is write the question inside."  
  
"Then what does it tell you '1001' of?" Harry wondered.  
  
Hermione answered, "It tells you about 300 different potions, 300 different spells, 300 different creatures, and 100 different plants. The one other question is whatever you ask it."  
  
"That's why they're so good for homework. They can give you all the answers."  
  
"But what are these?" Harry asked, motioning towards the jars.  
  
"Look like pre-made potions," Hermione observed.  
  
Harry picked up one of the jars filled with cerulean blue liquid and read the label aloud. "Transmogrification Potion."  
  
"Oh!" Hermione snatched the jar out Harry's hands and examined it carefully, her eyes bulging. "I've heard of this. It's extremely difficult to make because the ingredients are so scarce."  
  
"Yeah, but what does it do?" Ron asked, watching the jar.  
  
"It works like a polyjuice potion, except it allows you to not only turn into animals, but it allows you to extend the amount of time you have until it wears of. Adding a blade of grass will make last an extra 20 minutes. Also, if you add a Chimera's hair, it will also you to have all of the memories of the person you're turning into," she explained as if it was second nature.  
  
"Bloody hell," Ron muttered, staring in awe at the jar. "Who would send you all if this cool stuff?"  
  
"Someone who wants Harry to break every rule imaginable," Hermione stated.  
  
"What do you mean?" Harry asked.  
  
"' 1001 Things You Will Never Learn Because They Are Much Too Dangerous'?" she repeated. Ever wonder why you would never learn them? And worse, you could use the book for cheating."  
  
The three soon began debating about who and why this package was sent to Harry. They were too distracted to notice Draco and the girl from Diagon Alley, Monica, standing in their compartment door, watching them. Eventually, Hermione turned her head and got a glimpse of the two in the doorway and stopped. Since she was the one Harry and Ron were arguing at, they stopped as well.  
  
"Draco," Ron spat. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"I was giving Monica a grand tour of the train," Draco responded coolly.  
  
Monica was wearing a Hogwarts robe with the Slytherin stitching on one side. Her skin seemed paler then when he last saw her at Diagon Alley and assumed it must have bee the lighting.  
  
"She doesn't go to out school," Ron stated.  
  
"I transferred. I used to be home schooled. I was sorted over the summer, in case you care to know," she said, leering at Ron. She never seemed to smile.  
  
"Is it possible to transfer this late in the term? I mean, you obviously can't be first year." Hermione was stopped mid sentence.  
  
"Are you that dull?" Monica said, a look of disgust in her face. "I was home schooled, as in, I was taught at home. I know everything you do, so there's no need to assume that I'm only smart enough to be a first year."  
  
Hermione looked at her, angry. "I wasn't assuming you were going to be a first year, I just said it was impossible for you to be one."  
  
"Oh, well, leave it to the mud-blood to state the obvious," Draco broke it.  
  
"Why don't you two just leave?" Ron suggested. He spoke with a bit of harshness in his voice. "That way we can get back to what we were doing."  
  
"Well, it was nice to meet you," Monica said, with an air of sarcasm. Harry wondered if she was trying to be sarcastic or if this was just that way she spoke.  
  
They walked out of the compartment, leaving a very angry Hermione and Ron behind. Harry, however, has heard the same argument so many time that he no longer cares.  
  
"Can you believe her?" Hermione asked, assuming Harry and Ron would agree with her. "She's so rude."  
  
"Technically, she didn't do anything. Besides, it was Draco who called you a mud-blood, not her," Harry said to her defense.  
  
"Oh, come off it, Harry. She called Hermione dull. Hermione and dull are not two words that should be in the same sentence," Ron said.  
  
"Well, she was only trying to defend herself. You can relate to that, can't you, Ron?"  
  
Hermione looked at Harry, surprised. "Harry, why are you standing up for her? She's one of Draco's newest cronies. Besides, she's in Slytherin. That's a bad sign."  
  
"She had no right calling Hermione dull," Ron said, obviously feeling offended by that exact insult. "She shouldn't be insulting people she doesn't know."  
  
"Ok, fine. She's another evil Slytherin," Harry said. He just wanted to stop arguing with them because he knew they were right; he just didn't want to admit they were right.  
  
The rest of the trip was spent examining the contents of the box. Occasionally, someone would point out something they considered interesting, but it was usually soon forgotten. As the train began to slow down, the three began packing all of the jars and the book and waited for the train to come to a complete halt.  
  
The train eventually came to a complete stop and all of the students were herded out of train. One by one, the student began to fill the thestral- pulled carriages. Once the last carriage was filled up, the students made their way up the to Hogwarts.  
  
A/N- I finished! Yay! I'm going to get to work on the next chapter right.now. Oh, and please review. If I get enough people to tell me this was completely horrible, I promise I'll stop. Plus, if you review, I'll give you a cookie. 


	7. Dumbledore's Plea

Chapter 7 "Dumbledore's Plea"  
  
As the entrance hall became flooded with students, Professor McGonagall scurried towards the front of the room to give her usually speech.  
  
"Hello and welcome to Hogwarts," she said, her voice echoing off of the walls. "As most of you know already know, I am Professor McGonagall. You will meet up in the Great Hall according to which house you are in. However, first years are required to be sorted before they could go to their houses. Now all first years line up here," she said, pointing to a spot in front of her. "All others may enter the hall with the exception of Mr. Ronald Weasley, Mr. Harry Potter, and Ms. Hermione Granger."  
  
A few people that were standing by the trio turned their heads to get a good look at them before entering the Great Hall. Once the entrance hall was emptied out with the exception of the first years, McGonagall walked over towards them.  
  
"Do not worry," she reassured. "You are not in any trouble. Professor Dumbledore would just like to have a word with you. He is in his office waiting for you."  
  
McGonagall went back to the line of nervous first years and lead them into the Great Hall, leaving Harry, Ron, and Hermione alone in the entrance hall, with the exception of.  
  
"Peeves is here, or is he there? Maybe Peeve's is everywhere!" he sang as he hovered above them. "Oh, look, it's wee Potty boy and two of his friends, one of which who is a Weasel!"  
  
"Peeves, just shut up," Ron said to the ghost as he flew in circle above the three of them.  
  
"Ignore him," Hermione said and she started her way down the hallway, no doubt heading towards Dumbledore's office.  
  
As Harry and Ron followed behind her, they heard Peeve's blow an extremely loud and unnecessary raspberry.  
  
Harry and Ron had to jog in order to keep up with Hermione. "Slow down," Harry warned. "You're going to give me a heart attack."  
  
"What's the rush?" Ron said in between breaths. "It's not like he's going anywhere."  
  
Hermione stopped dead in her tracks, as did Ron and Harry. "I'm sorry," she apologized. "I'm just.just nervous, that's all."  
  
"About what?" Ron asked. "McGonagall said we're not in trouble."  
  
"But what if we are?" Hermione suggested. "Maybe she's trying to make us feel better by telling us we're not. Maybe we're going to be suspended."  
  
"I doubt it," Harry admitted. "We haven't done anything wrong. At least I think we haven't, anyway."  
  
They continued down the hall at a much slower pace until they reached the statue in front of Dumbledore's office.  
  
"Great," Ron complained. "How are we supposed to get in? McGonagall forgot to tell us the password."  
  
"It was then Harry noticed a piece of parchment floating next to the statue, the note read: Chocolate.  
  
"Chocolate?" Harry asked aloud. Suddenly, the statue sprang to life and moved out of the way, allowing them to walk onto the stairs behind it. All three of them immediately walked inside.  
  
Once they got into Dumbledore's office, they looked around at the paintings of the previous headmaster's all over the walls. Everybody in the paintings was sleeping, and their snore's faintly echoed off the walls. They noticed Dumbledore sitting at desk, writing something on a piece of parchment.  
  
Harry turned to where Fawks should have been, only to find that space empty.  
  
Dumbledore stopped what he was doing and directed his attention towards the students, giving them a faint smile.  
  
"Um, Professor?" Hermione asked. "Why have you called us up here?"  
  
"Don't worry. You haven't done anything wrong," Dumbledore reassured.  
  
"That what McGonagall told us," Harry informed him. "But why are we here?"  
  
"You see, the three of you have a habit of exploring the castle, do you not?" The three of them looked at each other before giving him a small nod. It was true that they explored a lot, but they never got a private lecture from Dumbledore about it. As far as they knew, he didn't seemed to care about them exploring.  
  
"Now, I want you to promise me that you will not explore the castle anymore. Even if something doesn't seem to be right. If you do, however feel as though somebody's life is in jeopardy, please come and tell me. Just please, stop exploring the school." His smile was now a stern expression.  
  
"Is there something dangerous at the school?" Harry asked.  
  
"No, not at all. I would just be able to sleep more at ease if I knew you three weren't out exploring the school grounds. Is that clear?"  
  
Hermione and Ron nodded, but Harry was still confused.  
  
"Don't you trust us? If there is nothing dangerous at the school, why can't we explore?"  
  
Dumbledore looked at Harry, disappointed. " Please, just do not go wandering around the castle. There is nothing dangerous, but in case something does happen."  
  
Harry looked at Dumbledore, but instead of stating his side of the situation, he just turned around and headed towards the door. He was in no mood to start and argument with the headmaster.  
  
"Wait," Dumbledore called out to the three students before they could walk out of his office. "You can not just walk into the Great Hall yet. They must finish the sorting ceremony before we many enter. So, therefore, we will wait until they are finished before entering."  
  
The three took seats in various chairs around the office and waited in silence before Dumbedore told them that they may leave.  
  
They left the office, only to have Dumbledore following close behind them.  
  
All four of them soon entered the Great Hall and Ron, Hermione, and Harry took their usual seats at the Gyriffindor table. After explaining what exactly happened in Dumbledore's office, they listened to Dumbledore's pre- meal announcement.  
  
"To our new students and old students alike, welcome!" Dumbledore greeted, which was shortly followed by a round of applause. When the clapping ceased, he continued with his speech. "Let us eat, shall we?"  
  
As the food began to appear on the tables, the students started to cheer. Ron, however, was too busy grabbing food from various platters to speak, let alone cheer.  
  
So far, the school year seemed to be going by much like all the others. Then again, all the other years weren't all that normal.  
  
A/N- Two chapters in one night? Whoa, this is some kind of record for me. Well, I started reading the 5th book, but I'm only on chapter 23, so I don't know what happens to that evil DADA teacher, so for the sake of my sanity, she will not be in this story, alone with everything else that happens in book 5. I might make some reference to the 5th book, like with Harry and the Quidditch team, but aside from that, don't expect too much. I was trying to make this story as accurate as possible, but that was BEFORE the 5th book came out. Now, I'm still going to try to make it accurate, just not as accurate as before. And just to let you know (although I doubt you care) I will try to update more. I have a lot more free time on my hands now, because I'm finished with GEPA and all those evil midterms now. I'm going to end this A/N before it gets too long and more boring that it already is (If that's possible). Oh, and please review. Tx 


End file.
